Lucky Clover
by Goombario Jr
Summary: A day in the unfortunate life of a Hex Maniac and her pet Espurr in Lumiose City. Now turned into a multi-chapter story.
1. Chapter 1

If there's one thing Clover hated more than anything, she would have to say a heavy rainstorm.

Well, no, scratch that, she would have to say it's seeing Sunny, her Espurr, hungry. Seeing her little Pokemon rub his stomach in both hunger and pain always brought tears to her eyes, but by this point she was good at hiding them. She knew that Sunny could tell, though.

Clover's life had gone to a complete disaster in the recent weeks. Her parents had sent her off to Santalune City to attend the Trainers' School in hopes that she would become a Pokemon Ranger, or maybe even further her education and work in the field of Pokemon study. However, she fell in with who her parents called a 'wrong crowd' and gained an interest in 'that filthy, evil occult' thing (as her parents called it).

Clover had never wanted to be a Ranger; or even a simple Lass, for that matter. Trainer classes all seemed relatively boring to her, but before she knew it she was a 'Hex Maniac.' She was given a purple dress by her friends, studied more of the 'occult,' and was just as soon kicked out of school for trying to summon the ghost of a Croagunk on a dare.

During all this going on, she met Sunny, a cheerful Espurr who was given to her during a class one day on how to properly feed a Pokemon. At the end of the class, everyone was told to return their Pokemon, but Sunny refused to leave her side. Although Clover was hoping the professor would just 'not be able to separate them', Sunny was forced back into his Poke Ball and taken away.

Later that night, Clover was woken up in her bed by something jumping on her stomach. Her eyes shot open from the weight falling on her and she saw that same little Espurr's wide, staring eyes just looking through her own, as if he could read her every thought. Wanting to avoid any trouble, she promptly returned the Espurr the next day, but the same thing happened night after night. After a week, she made Espurr promise to stay hidden in her room, and the school assumed it just ran away during a class.

No one even questioned why one of the school's tamed Pokemon would leave like that. All of the kids were too busy gushing over the 'cute' and 'pretty' Pokemon, treating all of the Espurr and Pumpkaboo like second-rate garbage. The idea of the other Pokemon being treated like that made Clover furious.

Sunny stayed with her until the school kicked her out; living in her room and eating leftover school dinners and whatever Pokemon food Clover could steal from the teachers' supplies.

It wasn't until recently that she had even named him; he was simply 'Espurr' until the two fell on hard times. Clover saw the Pokemon as her own little ray of sunshine in these sad times, and although she knew it would sound quite cliché, dubbed him 'Sunny.' He seemed thrilled with having a name at all.

The memories of school made Clover somewhat happy – the ones before getting expelled, anyway – and those were what got her through nights like this. When the school let her go, the first thing she did was call her parents. When she told them what happened, her mother told her to "go to those occult people and live in their demon shack." There was no such place, but her mother refused to believe her and hung up on her. Clover tried to appeal to her father, but he was too submissive to her mother's wishes and just told Clover to "take care of herself."

Thinking of her parents didn't help Clover during the cold, rainy nights, but the rain did help hide her tears. Sunny was always quick to run over to her and try his hardest to wrap his stubby little paws around her in a hug. Clover ran her fingers through Sunny's matted, wet, foul-smelling fur. Tonight's rain seemed to be especially heavy, and the thunder clapping in the sky made both the Hex trainer and her Pokemon a little scared.

"Everything is gonna be okay, Sunny." Clover assured him. "We'll practice battling and we'll earn all kinds of money, okay?"

"Purr!" Sunny responded in his usual happy mood. Clover could see the fur under his eyes was damp again, but not from rain. Sunny always tried to hide it from her, but nighttime was when he cried. Clover thought over and over about giving him to Nurse Joy and letting him have a better life, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was what was best for Sunny, but he refused to leave her. She knew it was her own greed, but she didn't know if she could keep going without her partner.

"We have our box, we have our … well, we had our food, and we have each other." Clover gently stroked Sunny's head. She picked him up and placed him on her lap, leaning against the large refrigerator box the two called home. Sunny closed his eyes and curled up against her stomach as Clover started to softly sing. "Hush little Espurr, don't you cry …"

Clover didn't know how long it took her to fall asleep, but it never felt like she slept enough. The rays of sunshine rudely woke her every morning, which meant that in addition to having to get up, it was time to hunt around for some kind of breakfast – provided they could find any today. With Sunny perched on her shoulder, Clover walked out of the long, dark alley the two usually stayed in.

"What do you feel like this morning, Sunny?" Clover asked, scratching her Pokemon's chin. Sunny purred and nuzzled his cheek against her own. Clover smiled at the warm feeling of Sunny's fur. "We could check out of one of the cafes and see if they threw out some sweets. Maybe they threw out a whole cake again! Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"Espurr!" Sunny replied with a cheerful demeanor and smile. His pink eyes widened and he looked straight ahead; he was trying to sense if a cake was in store for them. Without much battling, Sunny's psychic powers weren't too strong at all, but he could do simple tasks. His lack of sleep and strong hunger was becoming obvious, though; after a moment of strain, Sunny's eyes returned to normal and it took a moment of heavy breathing for him to regain himself.

"It's okay; we can just walk there. It'll be good to get some sun." Clover patted Sunny's furry cheek. "You just relax and we'll be there in no time."

Sunny nodded and made a cute yawn, holding onto Clover's dress for support as he slowly crawled down her shoulder, landing in Clover's cradling arms. Clover held Sunny close as the Pokemon closed his eyes, dozing off into a nap. Looking down at Sunny's sleeping face made Clover smile; looking at him made it easier to ignore the looks on peoples' faces when they tried to figure out where "that awful smell was coming from."

It took a bit of walking, but Clover eventually reached 'Restaurant Le Wow,' one of the finest, fanciest places in all of Kalos. Of course, Clover didn't head for the door, not at all; she would be kicked out on sight, as she had been before. Instead, she darted for the small space next to it, looking around and hoping she could find a dumpster – for some reason, some days the high-name restaurants had dumpsters behind them, and some days they didn't. Clover thought it was for days they expected a lot of people, but it was just a guess.

Luckily for her, today was a dumpster day. When she flipped opened one of the two double black lids, Sunny instantly woke up at the familiar sound. The Espurr hopped out of Clover's arms and into the trash-filled bin, burying his way into the junk while Clover picked through what was on top.

"Oh, look Sunny! Here's half a pizza!" Clover exclaimed.

"Espurr!" Sunny piped up as he popped up from the trash, holding a ripped bag of candy which had half the chocolates missing.

"There you go, good job!" Clover praised him. "Look, here's some steak, and some chicken legs! We're gonna eat great today!" Clover said. She felt tears running down her face, but they were tears of joy; she could watch Sunny eat today. He wouldn't be hungry.

Clover pulled up a bit of her dress, using it as a makeshift tray to pile it up with all of the food she and Sunny could dig up. Most of it was half-eaten, or had a bit of a smell to it, but it was still edible and that's all Clover cared about. After getting as much as they could carry, Clover promised Sunny they would make two trips and headed for the front of the building.

"Hey, stop you thieves!"

A fat, slow-moving chef popped out from behind the corner, waving a frying pan at them and trying his best to run towards the two. Clover went into a panic, but Sunny was more than prepared; he hopped in front of Clover, his wide, pink eyes looking determined.

"Uh, use … u-use Confusion!" Clover commanded. Sunny nodded and stared into the chef's eyes, sending pulses of psychic energy towards the man. He fell backwards, landing hard on the cement. Clover took this time to run, but the two stayed next to the building for just a moment; Clover hoped this worked. She prayed that this worked.

"Ugh … what am I doing out here?" The chef asked.

Yes! The chef had forgotten he was chasing them, so he wouldn't have the dumpster taken away! Clover and Sunny shared a big smile, darting behind benches and signs to avoid being seen by any passersby who would take it upon themselves to yell at them. It took a while, but eventually the two reached their cardboard home and Clover dumped the pile of food on the ground.

Clover clasped her hands together, and with tears in her eyes, looked up at the sky.

"Thank you." She said, sobbing. "Whoever's up there, or whoever let us find this food. Thank you."

Clover watched in sheer joy as Sunny ate from the little bag of chocolates he found. Sunny looked as if he'd never been happier, and that was all Clover needed. The two had found a supply of food for at least a day, which meant that if Clover could find some thrown out water bottles or some rain water, they'd be able to get drinks and wash Sunny's fur off, too.

Maybe things weren't all that bad, Clover thought. This was one of those days that made her know that the world could be forgiving. Maybe things could improve for a girl like her and her little Pokemon. The wind started to pick up, but Clover quickly grabbed all of the food she could and stuffed it deeper into the box; not a scrap was lost. The breeze brought a newspaper along with it, landing at Clover's feet. She picked it up and started to browse.

'Wanted: Newcomer Pokemon trainers to help in battles at Lumiose City gym. Electric-types preferred, but all types accepted.'

She could get a job. Clover could get a job, which meant she could get money, which meant food, maybe even clean clothes. All she had to do was hope Nurse Joy would let her take a shower at the Pokemon Center and she could head right for the gym. She looked down at Sunny, who had finished his chocolates and had a look of satisfaction on his face. She picked him up and held him at eye-level.

"It's gonna be okay, Sunny." Clover said, hugging him to her chest with tears of joy running down her face. "We're gonna be just fine."


	2. Chapter 2

"Do you know where we're going, Sunny?"

Clover gently stroked her Espurr's chin. The little cat perched on her shoulder, affectionately nuzzling her cheek. He looked at her, shaking his head to answer.

"Well, we're going to the gym. We're gonna have our very own job, and get money, and buy sweets!" Clover explained. She spoke a bit faster than normal; just hearing the word "sweets" come out of her mouth made both Clover and Sunny excited at the idea of food. "We need to stop by the Pokemon Center first, though."

As if on cue, Clover turned a corner and the two were right in front of one of Lumiose's Pokemon Centers. As per usual, Clover had to look around and make sure no one was watching her – although Nurse Joy had no problem with Clover going inside the center, for some reason the city's police thought Clover going inside would "drive people away," likely due to her or Sunny's stench. Seeing that the coast was clear, Clover slipped past the doorway into the building.

The Pokemon Center was warm, inviting, and smelled extremely pleasant. Nurse Joy took great care in making her center presentable for visitors, and Clover always thought the pink-haired woman had done a fine job of it. At the sight of Clover, a few of the center's usual visiting trainers plugged their noses and sat back in their chairs.

"Good morning, everyone …" Clover mumbled. No one answered her. Sunny growled, more cutely than intimidating, and swatted his small paw at the humans as Clover walked by – Sunny disliked anyone who made Clover upset. Clover reached towards her shoulder and patted Sunny's head. "Let it go, Sunny. They're not worth it." she muttered.

"Espurr …" Sunny replied with a sulk.

"Good morning, and welcome to—oh, hello Clover." Nurse Joy's usual cheerful greeting was never completely finished when Clover and Sunny visited. Joy was too polite to hold her nose in front of someone, so she always turned around for a moment and quietly took in a breath of air. Clover pretended to not notice this.

"Good morning, Nurse Joy." Clover replied, giving her a wave. "I'm gonna get a job today!"

"Congratulations! That's great!" Joy said. For once, Clover took Joy's smile towards her as genuine. "I'm happy for you! Does Sunny need a check-up?" No matter how Joy treated Clover, she was always one-hundred percent good with Sunny, something Clover appreciated.

"Not today." Clover said, shaking her head. She looked nervous, looking at the counter in front of her and refusing to face Joy. "I kind of … I need to shower." Clover mumbled quietly. Joy leaned closer.

"I'm sorry Clover, I didn't hear you." Joy said. "Would you repeat that, please?"

"I said I need a shower …" Clover muttered, her voice still barely audible.

"Once more, please?" Joy asked. "My apologies, I was treating a Pokemon this morning and the tools I had to use were rather loud on my hearing."

"I said, I NEED A SHOWER!" Clover yelled. She instantly slapped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she had done. Her entire face was red and tears were beginning to burn her eyes, but she used her other hand to wipe them away. A few of the sitting trainers snickered, one boy whispering "Yeah, she sure does."

"No need to shout, Clover." Joy replied, seeming un-phased. "The bathrooms are actually free this morning; I barely had anyone stay overnight. Help yourself!"

Clover bowed in gratitude, and Sunny did the same – the little Espurr forgot he was standing on Clover's shoulder and fell, but landed in Clover's arms. Clover looked down at him, and the two shared a laugh as Clover turned from the counter and headed for the nearby changing room. Once she reached the doors, she stopped in her tracks. Sunny looked up at her, confused.

"Sunny, I just realized something. Even if we do get clean, I don't have any clean clothes. My body being clean won't do much if my dress still stinks." Clover said. As she spoke, her smile turned more and more into a big frown. Just as soon as her mouth curved down, her lips turned right back up into a grin when an idea struck. "Maybe Nurse Joy can loan me an outfit!"

Clover placed Sunny on the floor, and walked towards a shelf next to the changing room door where a stack of towels were sitting. She took two; one large for herself, and a smaller one for Sunny. Pokemon Centers having showers wasn't an unusual thing, but most trainers didn't know they existed until asking Joy – the hallway that lead to it was somewhat hidden next to the changing room. Clover headed down the hall with Sunny at her heels.

A long, soapy shower later, Clover and Sunny stood outside of the shower stall with towels wrapped around their bodies – Sunny's small towel was a bit too big and went from his legs to his chin. He found it annoyed to keep wrapped around him, even more so when Clover giggled and said he was 'trapped in towel jail.' Clover's long, purple hair had gone from curled and matted to the usual long, flowing style of an 'average' Hex Maniac's, complete with a now-washed purple clip on the top.

"Espurr?" Sunny asked. He looked up at Clover and patted her leg with his paw. Clover looked down at him, taking care not to drip water on his head. Sunny pointed at his eyes with his paw.

"Do your eyes hurt?" Clover asked. "Should we go tell Joy?"

Sunny shook his head and continued to point at his eyes. Clover stared at him, pondering what he could possibly be trying to say. It didn't take her long to realize what he meant.

"Oh, thanks for reminding me." Clover said. Sunny smiled at her and nodded. Clover walked towards the sink mounted on the wall and grabbed a small white case sitting near the faucet. She opened it up, taking out one small lens with a purple, swirled design on it. "I hate putting these things in."

Before she braced herself for the irritation of putting the contact on, Clover looked into the mirror – her eyes were naturally a bright, sky blue, not the 'purple swirls' than most Hex Maniac girls had. A large majority of them wore contacts as well, but to the naked eye the swirl looked totally real. Clover had never seen anyone else with swirled eyes besides other Hex Maniacs, so she often wondered why no one else took it as weird.

It was something she thought too much on, or so Clover told herself.

She put the lens to her eye, but paused once more. She shook her head and gently placed it back into its plastic case, and snapped it shut.

"Not today, Sunny." Clover said. "Today is the start of our awesome new life with a job, and I want to be me." Clover looked at herself in the mirror once again, taking a strand of purple hair in her hand. "Well … as much of me as possible. This color's never coming out."

Clover looked down, seeing that Sunny had freed himself from the towel and was shaking his body dry. Clover looked over at her wrinkled, filthy mess of a dress hanging on the wall – she couldn't put it back on, but she couldn't walk out in a towel, either. She looked at Sunny, who was studying the toilet like it was some unusual machine.

"Sunny, I need you to go tell Nurse Joy that I need some clean clothes." Clover instructed. Sunny was focused on the toilet – as if it had a motive to attack – but nodded to acknowledge Clover's command. "If she can't understand, just figure something out."

"Espurr!" Sunny nodded once more and walked out of the room, backwards – his eyes stayed focused on the toilet as he reached the door. While he was distracted, Clover nonchalantly reached over and pressed her hand down on the handle – when the toilet flushed, Sunny jumped at least a foot in the air and ran away as fast as his little legs could carry him. Clover giggled at him – Sunny may be her best friend and defensive when he needed to be, but he was still a kid.

"I really hope he'll get me something nice." Clover spoke to her reflection in the mirror. "At least some jeans and a shirt, or something - I'll take anything that doesn't smell."

…

It may not smell, but this outfit was not what Clover had in mind.

After a good 20 minutes of waiting, Nurse Joy had apparently given up on understanding Sunny and just went to the bathroom herself and spoke to Clover through the door. At first, Joy told her that she didn't have any spare clothing, but eventually 'remembered' that a traveling Pokemon actor group had visited the center many months ago and had forgotten one of their outfits. When Clover asked how a group of professionals had just 'misplaced' something that important, Joy didn't answer her.

Clover expected an elegant dress, or maybe some street clothes – the one thing she didn't expect was a Kanto schoolgirl uniform, usually worn by a 'Lass' trainer. Complete with a blue skirt, white sailor shirt, and red tie, it was every fetish nerd's dream. White, knee-high socks and brown loafers covered her feet; they were quite comfortable, actually. Much better than the black high-heels she had worn before.

"I can't believe I'm wearing this." Clover said with disgust, looking up and down in the mirror. Through the years of her Hex Maniac life, Clover had grown to prefer the gothic style of clothing and refused to wear much else. "I'd even take a clown costume over this."

"Oh, I have one of those too, if you'd prefer!" Joy replied from outside the door. "Shall I go get it?"

"No, this is fine, thanks!" Clover yelled in reply. "I'll make due, thank you Nurse Joy!"

With her legs trembling, face red, and eyes closed, Clover slowly walked down the hallway and into the center's lobby, refusing to look at anyone around her. She heard one of the boys whistle, and another whisper "who's that?" as she and Sunny walked by. Sunny turned to the boy and gave him a wink, smacking his little gray-furred rear as Clover made her way out of the center … or tried to. With her eyes still closed, Clover walked right into the wall next to the door. She rubbed her nose in pain, ignoring the laughter as she quickly walked outside.

"That hurt, stupid wall!" Clover whined, continuing to rub her nose. Sunny hopped towards her, crawling up her body and sitting on her shoulder. "Come on, Sunny. Let's go get a job."

"Espurr …!" Sunny replied and pointed forward, as if directing Clover like a steed. Clover giggled but started to walk regardless, seeing the large tower off in the distance. While she walked down the sidewalk, Clover could feel eyes looking at her as she traveled – men made comments, asking "who's that girl?" and some of the girls her age looked her up and down, judging her outfit. Clover felt like somewhat of a celebrity; being stared at for your looks is much better than being stared at because "dear God, something stinks."

"Madame, would you and your Espurr like some lunch?"

Clover almost walked into a man standing in front of her. She looked up at him – tall, graying hair, and the suit of a waiter. The older man gave her a sincere smile.

"Certainly a woman as stylish as you eats at high-class cafes every day, no?" The man asked. "Come in, I will gladly prepare you and your Pokemon a fine meal!"

"Uh, I … I don't have any money …" Clover muttered. "I'm sorry …"

"This is no problem!" The waiter said with a laugh. "If I wanted Madame's money, I would not have offered her a free meal!"

"Free? Are you serious, sir?" Clover asked. Both hers and Sunny's eyes widened. The little Espurr tugged on Clover's hair, enough to hurt her – she looked over and his eyes met hers, his expression conveying his beg of "Please?" Clover knew better than to trust strangers off the street like that, but even if she said 'no,' she knew Sunny would just hop off her shoulder and happily head inside.

"You have my word, Madame." The waiter promised. "A meal fit for a beautiful girl like you, and a strong Pokemon like your Espurr."

"I … well, I …" Clover stammered. Her growling stomach and Sunny's begging weren't helping matters; they had finished all of their stolen food hours ago – so much for eating for a week, when Sunny's involved – so this would likely be the only meal they had for quite some time. "Thank you, I accept."

"I beg of you, come in!" The waiter stepped aside and motioned Clover to lead. Clover nodded and walked into the café.

The interior was stunning. Clover had never seen a place like this; Pokemon-themed jewelry and lights decorated the walls. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling. The plush carpet on the floor was soft to stand on, and even through shoes it relaxed your feet.

The waiter led her to a large table, pulling out a chair for her and another for Sunny, complete with a booster seat meant for a child. Sunny looked amazed at the room, but even more so at the aroma of food passing through the air. Clover picked up a large, cloth-lined menu from the table, and Sunny attempted to do the same, but couldn't quite lift it.

"Here, Sunny. We'll decide together." Clover placed the menu on the table and opened it. "See? It has pictures of the food, so you tell me if anything looks good, okay?"

"Espurr!" Sunny nodded. His eyes began to browse the food, looking more and more excited at every picture. He leaned in close towards a picture of a large, delicious-looking chicken, and started to flick his tongue on it.

"No, we don't eat the menu!" Clover said, pushing him up. "You point to what you want, and they make it for you. You don't have to eat plastic!" She giggled at her Pokemon. Sunny smiled and blushed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I wonder where that waiter went …"

"Here I am, Madame!" The waiter replied from behind her. Clover jumped in surprised, then turned to see the man with large plates of food on his arms. When he moved, another waiter appeared behind him, followed by another. As the plates were placed on the table, the lids on top were pulled away – meats, cakes, anything one might expect at a fancy place was on the table. Sunny stared at everything, but minded his manners and didn't move an inch. He looked at Clover, his eyes pleading.

"Go ahead, but don't make a mess." Clover nodded. Sunny moved for a chocolate cake and sat in front of it. He started to grab a chunk of it with his paw, but one of the waiters put his hand in front of him.

"No-no, little Pokemon." The waiter said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small fork, giving the little cat a warm smile. "This would work better, yes?"

Sunny nodded and smiled his appreciation, then tried to pick up the fork with his stubby paws – a task he soon deemed impossible. His large eyes lit up, covering the fork in a bright light. As if moving on its own, the fork dove into the cake, pulled out a perfect square chunk, then slowly moved into Sunny's open mouth.

Clover watched her Pokemon eat while shoving a fork into her mouth, taking a bite of steak. The flavor was absolutely amazing, nothing like she had ever eaten before. Sunny continued to stuff his face with cake and chocolate, ignoring anyone around him.

…

Clover had no idea how much time had passed, but soon enough every single plate was empty, along with four glasses of soda – one for Clover, three for Sunny. Clover joked that Sunny was actually a Munchlax in disguise, but Sunny didn't find it funny.

"Was your meal satisfactory, Madame?" The waiter appeared once more.

"It was delicious, thank you." Clover replied. "We've never eaten anything so amazing."

"I am sorry, but I find that surprising." The waiter said. "Surely, an actress in the Pokemon actors' troupe dines in the finest places?"

"… You think I'm an actress?" Clover asked.

"Well, yes, Madame, your clothing is the, how you say, spitting image of Lass Madeline from the Kanto play group." The waiter said. "You are Madeline, yes?"

Clover and Sunny exchanged a nervous expression.

"Madame, please, I insist you tell me you are Lass Madeline." The waiter said.

"I never said I was - you invited us!" Clover protested. "I didn't know you thought that …"

"You have lied to me … and to this restaurant." The waiter said in a low, hushed voice. "I do not approve of liars, Madame. You are free to go, but please do not step foot in here again."

"I never said I was anyone …" Clover muttered. "I thought you were just being nice …"

"Consider your two-hundred dollar meal 'nice.'" The waiter said. "Leave, or I will inform security."

Clover nodded and gathered Sunny, holding him in her arms and calmly walking out of the restaurant. She looked down at her Pokemon as they walked down the sidewalk.

"That didn't make any sense, Sunny." Clover said. "He thought I was famous, and then called me a liar after we ate all that food? Just because of this outfit? Won't he get fired for giving me all that food?"

"Espurr …" Sunny shrugged.

"Best not to dwell on it, you're right." Clover agreed. "Let's just get to the gym, right?" Clover smiled – and let out a loud belch. She blushed, covering her mouth with a hand while keeping Sunny held close. "Pardon me, that food was too good."

"Espurr, purr!" Sunny laughed.

The two continued getting closer to the tower, soon approaching the plaza that contained it. Clover looked up at the gym, her eyes widened at the sight of the large building.

"We're gonna work in here?" Clover asked out loud. Sunny looked up as well. Clover entered the gym as Sunny moved to her shoulder.

…

"Are you a challenger?"

As soon as Clover entered, she was greeted by a small, blonde-haired girl.

"My big brother is the gym leader here, but you're not getting to him easy!" She said.

"I'm here about the trainer job, t-that's all! I'm not a challenger!" Clover stammered. "I just wanna talk to him!"

"I don't believe you!" The little girl argued. "If you wanna get to Clemont, you have to answer my questions!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to do that!" Clover protested. "I'm late enough as it is, and I've already had a bad day, may I please just meet the gym leader?"

"No way, you're not getting off that easy!" Bonnie said. "Hey, come here Arno!"

Clover watched as a teenage boy, one that looked to be a middle-schooler, appeared from behind Bonnie. He held a single Poke Ball in his hand. He let the ball fall and bounce off the floor, catching it when it moved into the air.

A Pachirisu appeared in front of him. Bonnie leapt for the Pokemon, cuddling it and nuzzling its face.

"Pachirisu is so cute, I wanna keep it!" Bonnie gushed. "I know it's not mine, but I want it! I wanna keep it!" Bonnie looked at Clover, as if forgetting the situation. She stood back up and pointed at her. "If you're not gonna answer my questions, you can battle our trainers!"

"But I wanna be your trainer too!" Clover said. "Come on, let me go!"

"Bonnie, stop this right now."

Bonnie, Arno, Pachirisu and Clover all looked, seeing a figure walking out of a sliding door. The figure looked to be a boy, but had four arms coming out of his back. His swirled glasses hid his eyes, and his blonde hair seemed a bit messy.

"Leave this girl alone, Bonnie. If she isn't a challenger, she doesn't have to do anything like this." The blonde boy said. He approached Clover and offered a hand, which Clover took. They shook hands and he gave her a smile. "My name is Clemont. I'm the gym leader here. I heard that you're here for my trainer position?"

"Y-Yes sir, I am …" Clover mumbled. "Sunny is, too." Sunny waved at Clemont, and the boy gave him a wave back.

"Well, I apologize for my little sister, but at the same time she sort of had a good idea. If you want to work as a trainer here, I do need to make sure you can battle. Would you mind battling Arno for me?"

"I … if Sunny is up for it, I guess …" Clover muttered. Sunny hopped from her shoulder and stood in front of her, looking at the Pachirisu.

"Espurr, Ess!" Sunny yelled. Pachirisu looked offended and ran in front of Arno.

"Chu, pa! Pachi!" Pachirisu shot back, its cheeks crackling with electricity.

"Okay, Sunny … l-let's go." Clover pointed forward. "Let's win."


	3. Chapter 3

"O-Okay Sunny, let's go ..."

Sunny stepped in front of Clover and gave a determined nod, watching as his Pachirisu opponent ran towards him. Its cheeks crackled with electricity as the battle began.

"Pachirisu, use Spark!" Arno commanded. Pachirisu nodded and leapt at Sunny.

"Sunny, use Confusion!" Clover yelled. Sunny's large, pink eyes widened at the running Pachirisu and started to send out waves of psychic energy. Before Sunny's attack could take effect over his opponent's mind, Pachirisu's zap of electricity hit, giving Sunny a painful shock.

"Espurr! Purr!" Sunny groaned in pain, his fur standing on end while the electricity coursed through his body. Clover looked terrified at the sight of Sunny being hurt. She looked over at Arno, who wore a sly grin on his face. Did he already think that he'd won?

"If I'm gonna get a job as a gym trainer, I can't back down this easy!" Clover exclaimed. "Get up, Sunny! We can do this!"

"Espurr!" Sunny slowly made his way up from the floor, his small, stubby paws pushing him upward. He stood and looked back at Clover. "Purr!"

"Use Leer now!" Clover commanded. "You can look scary if you try!"

Sunny leaned forward and looked into Pachirisu's eyes. Pachirisu stared back, seeming unphased by Sunny's 'attack'.

"Come on, Sunny! You can do it! Leer at it!" Clover yelled, sounding a bit desparate now. "Leer!"

Sunny nodded and ran towards Pachirisu, jumping at it and knocking it to the floor. Sunny stared directly into Pachirisu's eyes, not letting the squirrel Pokemon move for even a moment. After a minute of pause, Sunny stood up and Pachirisu followed - Pachirisu didn't look intimidated at all, though it did look rather uncomfortable. Clover figured that would be better than nothing.

"Uh, that's good, Sunny!" Clover praised. "Now before it moves, use Scratch!"

"This little back-and-forth is about done, girl." Arno said cooly. "Pachirisu, use Spark and actually make it count this time."

Pachirisu ran towards Sunny - its entire body was shining from the electricity surrounding it. Clover's terrified look remained - what else could Sunny do? Confusion and Scratch were the only damage-inducing moves he knew! While Sunny tried to avoid Pachirisu's headbutts and pouncing, Clover noticed something strange:

Pachirisu had an item attached to it; wrapped around its tail, specifically. If there was one thing a homeless girl and her Pokemon knew how to do, it was take something - fortunately, Clover had taught Sunny about this long ago.

"Sunny, use Covet!"

Sunny jumped straight up as Pachirisu approached, landing just as it ran underneath. Pachirisu paused in its tracks, confused about what its opponent was attempting. Just as it turned around, a gray blur ran past it and yanked on its tail.

Sunny stood in front of it moments later, holding a magnet in his paw.

"Now throw it and hit Pachirisu in the face, Sunny!" Clover yelled. "Show no mercy! Pretend it's that hotel owner guy that said I smelled like a Trubbish's backside!"

This was no longer a battle - Sunny was mercilessly beating Pachirisu over the head with a magnet.

"Ess! Pur!" Sunny yelled with each smack. All Pachirisu could do was yell in pain as the beatings continued.

"That's good, Sunny!" Clover cheered. "Now pretend its the girl who said I get my clothes from the garbage!"

"Stop! Please!"

Arno ran up and kicked Sunny away from Pachirisu. Clover dashed forward and caught him in her arms.

"Why did you kick my Pokemon? That's probably against the rules!" Clover yelled. "I would call Jenny on you, but ..." Clover's yell turned to a mumble. "...she'd just laugh at me again ..."

Clemont walked between them. He looked at Arno, then at Clover.

"Well, you have a peculiar way of battling, I'll give you that." Clemont said. "We can probably get away with just teaching Sunny how to use Thunderbolt."

"Does that mean I've got the job?" Clover asked excitedly. She and Sunny stared at Clemont with wide, hopeful eyes.

"As long as you promise to not allow Sunny to bludgen Pokemon with items anymore, then yes." Clemont smiled. "Welcome to Lumiose Gym, Clover."

Clover didn't respond. She looked down at Sunny with a huge smile, and her Pokemon looked up at her with the same. She hugged Sunny close to her chest and spun around in place, the both of them cheering.

"We have a job! We really do!" Clover exclaimed. "We're gonna make it, Sunny!"

"Espurr!" Sunny cheered. "Espurr! Purr!"

"When do I start?" Clover asked. Clemont looked at Sunny, then back up at her.

"As soon as Sunny evolves into Meowstic." Clemont said. "That shouldn't take too long, right?"

"As soon as he ... evolves?" Clover looked horrified. "But he's my little Espurr! I don't want Sunny to evolve if he doesn't want to!"

Sunny furiously shook his head.

"See? Sunny doesn't want to, either!" Clover protested. "Please, sir, can't I just work here without him evolving?"

"Well, since he's not a full-on Electric-type, it'll be hard to get away with it." Clemont said. "The Pokemon League does require me to have standards, and it's hard to ignore them without a slap on the hand."

"But ..." Clover's eyes started to tear up; not even five minutes and the job was taken away from her. "That's not right ... Sunny's my Espurr ..."

"If Sunny ever evolves into Meowstic, you have a place here. Until then, the Pokemon League won't let me get away with it if he isn't at least half-electric." Clemont frowned. "I really am sorry, but my hands are tied."

"But that's dumb!" Bonnie protested, running up to Clemont. "Sunny's cute and I wanna keep him!"

"Bonnie, you tried this with that boy's Bunnelby and I told you 'no' twice." Clemont said.

"No, no, I have a great idea!" Bonnie said. She ran off towards an automatic sliding door. "Be right back!"

-

"Bonnie, there's no way this is going to work." Clemont groaned.

Bonnie, with paint can and brush in hand, stood in front of Sunny. The Espurr looked uncomfortable at the bucket of yellow paint Bonnie held.

"If Sunny can't be electric, then we'll make him electric!" Bonnie explained. "Now just hold still and you'll be the cutest Pichu-not-really-a-Pichu ever!"

"Espurr ..." Sunny muttered, stepping away from Bonnie and towards Clover.

"No, not 'Espurr!' You're supposed to say 'Pichu!'" Bonnie yelled. "Pichu! Pichu!"

One of the gym's Pikachu poked its head up from behind a pillar.

"No, not you!" Bonnie yelled at it. The Pikachu's head dove out of sight. Bonnie dipped the brush in the paint and slowly approached Sunny.

"Now, Sunny, it's okay. I'm pretty sure this is the non-toxic paint so you'll be fine." Bonnie tried to speak in a reassuring tone. "Just let me make you pretty."

Sunny ran from her and jumped into Clover's arms. Clover looked at Bonnie, remaining silent.

" ... Sunny doesn't want to." Clover said. "I don't know if we should do this."

"I do know! Pichu time!" Bonnie yelled, taking the paint can in both hands and flinging it towards Clover and Sunny. The two were instantly coated in pale-yellow paint. "There we go! A Pichu and a Pichu cosplayer to match! Perfect!"

Before Clover could stop her, Bonnie grabbed Sunny from her arms and ran off with him into another room. Clover tried to give chase, but slipped in the puddle of paint and fell on her rear.

"Is she going to kill Sunny?" Clover asked Clemont. Clemont shrugged.

"I hope not. I don't have the money to pay up if you sue me." He said.

Minutes later, Bonnie returned with a still paint-dripping Sunny in her arms. Sunny had two black pieces of construction paper over his ears, and Bonnie had added two splotches of pink paint on his cheeks. His small tail had a square of black paper over it as well.

"Now we just have to teach him how to say 'Pichu' and we're fine!" Bonnie said. Sunny's pink eyes were wide, full of fear, and the Pokemon was trembling in terror. "He's a little excited, but I think it's because he's so excited to evolve into Pichu!"

There was absolutely no way this Espurr could pass as a Pichu.

"There is absolutely no way this Espurr could pass as a Pichu." Clemont groaned. "I'll give you a test-run, Clover. I'll have some explaining to do, though. If our league standards were as mellow as Sinnoh's or Hoenn's, my life would be so much easier ..."

"Thank you!" Clover said. She ran over and hugged Clemont, getting his jumpsuit covered in paint. She pulled away and smiled at him, but he only looked uncomfortable from it.

"Sure, sure, just ... take your Pichu and go get cleaned up." Clemont said. "Preferably not in here."

"Don't you have Hex girl clothes like everyone else?" Bonnie asked. "I know you're not a Lass."

"Well, I do, but ..." Clover paused. "I'll figure it out, I guess. I hope."

"Then we'll see you bright and early tomorrow!" Bonnie said. She reached up and smacked Clover's rear when Clover turned around. "Have a good sleep!"

"Eep!" Clover jumped from the sudden touch. "O-Okay, will do!" Clover looked down at herself. "I can't leave like this, though. I'm a mess."

"That's okay! I have just the outfit for you!" Bonnie winked at her. "It's the clothes that big bro says he doesn't want the gym girls to wear!"

"Bonnie, no! Not that one, that was sent here by accident from Sinnoh!" Clemont shook his head. "Leave those alone!"

"If it's a mistake then why are they still here?" Bonnie snickered at her brother's blushing face. "I'll be right back."

-

"Why does life hate me, Sunny?" Clover groaned. Sunny blushed at the sight of her.

A Pikachu-ear headband, a yellow strapless top that did nothing to hide her midriff, and booty shorts with Pikachu's back brown-stripes across the ass. A flimsy tail poked up from the top of the shorts.

"First a Kanto schoolgirl outfit, now I'm Elesa's little cosplay whore." Clover whined. "Well, at least we have a job. Now if we can get back home without someone thinking that job consists of me 'loving them long time', we'll be set."

"Es purr purr!" Sunny giggled.

The two were leaving Lumiose Gym as fast as possible, but it was hard to avoid being seen by anyone. At best, all anyone could see was a weird-looking Pichu following a taller yellow blur.

"If we can get to the Pokemon Center, we should be fine as long as Joy doesn't mistake me for a hooker." Clover sighed. "I really hope Bonnie doesn't think this is going to be my work uniform."

"Espurr?"

"It can't be. It's just not ... proper." Clover put her hands behind her head, resting on her arms. "Let's just go to the Pokemon Center and find my dress."

Clover's run turned into a mad dash when the two turned the corner to find the Pokemon Center - her move ended when she smacked hard into the door. For some reason, it didn't slide open.

"Ouch." Clover muttered. "Pain hurts."

"Espurr." Sunny nodded in agreement.

Clover stepped back, looking at the door. She jumped in front of it, waved her hand, danced a bit - nothing. Sunny tried as well, staring at the door in an attempt to push it open with his psychic powers.

Tap tap tap.

The two looked over, seeing Nurse Joy standing at the window. She shook her head and pointed towards the right. Clover followed her finger, seeing ... the sidewalk corner.

"Nurse Joy, no! It's me, Clover!" Clover clawed at the window. "It's me!" She watched as Joy scribbled something down, then held up a piece of paper.

"I'm not surprised." it read.

"These are just clothes I'm borrowing, I'm not a dirty girl or anything, I swear!" Clover begged. "Let us in!"

"You certainly smell dirty." The reverse side of the paper read. "Leave, please."

"Can I at least have my dress back?" Clover asked. She wasn't sure why Joy wouldn't speak through the window. "You can hear me, right?"

Joy walked from the window. Moments later, the door barely slid open and Clover's dirty purple dress was tossed to the ground. Clover picked it up and looked at Joy through the crack in the door.

"But you were so nice this morning!" Clover looked at her, geniunely confused. "What happened?"

"What happened was your Espurr gave all the Pokemon fleas!" Joy glared at her. "I'm usually fine with Sunny, scent and all, but you two can't come in here until he's clean. That includes that Pichu with you."

"But you're the one who has to do that!" Clover argued. "Wait ... Pichu?"

"Use a fountain! And yes, I know a Pichu when I see one!" Joy said, slamming the door.

Sunny and Clover looked at each other, laughing at the nurse's cluelessness.

Maybe this wouldn't be too hard, after all.


End file.
